Lebanese Lemony Lentils

📝 Ingredients

• 240 g dried green lentils
• 2 potatoes (about 150 g each)
• 200 g frozen whole-leaf spinach
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 30 g fresh coriander
• 2 lemons (about 90 ml juice)
• 1 tbsp plain flour (10 g)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 vegetable stock cube + 900 ml hot water
• 3 tbsp olive oil (2 for the onion, 1 for the garlic)
• 3 pitta breads (about 65 g each)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large pot with lid
• Small frying pan
• Colander
• Garlic press
• Citrus juicer
• Knife and chopping board

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the lentils in a sieve. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1.5 cm dice. Finely slice the onion and crush the garlic with the garlic press. Separate the coriander: finely chop the stalks and chop the leaves separately.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the stockpot over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 6 to 8 min, stirring, until nicely golden. Add the cumin and stir for 30 s to toast it, without letting it burn.
3. Add the lentils, crumble in the stock cube and pour in 900 ml hot water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce to a low heat and simmer for 10 min, covered.
4. Add the potatoes and continue cooking, covered, for 15 to 20 min, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the potatoes cooked but still whole. Add a little more hot water if it starts to catch on the bottom.
5. Add the spinach, still frozen, stir and cook for 5 min over a medium heat, until defrosted and well distributed through the stew.
6. Juice the lemons. In a bowl, mix the flour into the juice with a fork until there are no lumps left. Pour into the pot while stirring and leave to thicken for 3 to 4 min over a low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
7. In the small frying pan, heat the last spoonful of oil over a medium-low heat. Add the garlic and coriander stalks and stir for 1 to 2 min until the garlic is pale golden and fragrant: if it browns, it turns bitter. Immediately tip everything into the stew.
8. Off the heat, stir in the coriander leaves, taste and adjust the salt: the stew should be thick and distinctly tangy. Wipe out the small frying pan, warm the pitta breads in it for 30 s on each side over a medium heat and serve with the piping hot stew.